


Training Wheels

by fak3_y0u_0ut



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Childhood Friends, Ennotana not as a background ship, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Time Skips, cuz i sure got emotional writing it, its their own fic, just ennotana, mosty fluff but boi u might get emotional reading it, what we all want and need, with just them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-23
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-08-10 16:34:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7852720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fak3_y0u_0ut/pseuds/fak3_y0u_0ut
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tanaka and Ennoshita are childhood friends, and Tanaka helps Enno take his training wheels off for the first time. Over time, some things never change. (Based off of the song Training Wheels my Melanie Martinez)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Training Wheels

**Author's Note:**

> I can honestly say I'm really happy with how this turned out, so I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it :)  
> also don't forget to listen to the song lol

_([Here's a link to the song if interested](https://youtu.be/17lKhyL4qUI))_

* * *

“C’mon Chikara, take them off!”

“No way! I can't do that!”

“Why not?”

“I-I’ll fall for sure!”

“No you won't!”

“Yes I will!”

The two young boys argued back on forth while they stood in the middle of a quiet road in their neighborhood. The boy with a shaved head pouted at his friend. “I'll take mine off if you take yours off,” Tanaka offered the dark haired boy.

“I thought you weren't allowed to take your training wheels off anymore?” Ennoshita asked, recalling when his friend took the training wheels off his bike way too early. He remembers watching him fall to the ground in less than five seconds, badly scraping up his elbow. It bled for an hour. Since then, Tanaka wasn't allowed to ride his bike without them.

“My parents can't control my life,” Tanaka huffed, crossing his arms which were littered with bandages and bruises. Ennoshita rolled his eyes at his reckless friend and sighed. He knew he wasn't going to get anywhere.

“Fine.”

“Alright!” Tanaka shouted as he held his hand up. Ennoshita reluctantly high fives him. They grabbed their bikes and rode back to Enno’s place to get a wrench. They sat in the driveway, helping each other take the training wheels off their bikes. Tanaka eagerly stood up and grabbed his bike, Ennoshita following. “Are you ready?”

Ennoshita looked at the ground as he gripped the handlebars of his bike. He kicked at the gravel. “I-I think I changed my mind…”

“You’ll be fine,” Tanaka assured.

“But Ryuu-”

“Chikara, I’ve seen you ride your bike, and your training wheels aren’t even touching the ground anymore.” Ennoshita stayed silent as he continued to watch his feet.

“I'll go first if you want,” Tanaka said. Ennoshita looked up at Tanaka, who was giving him an encouraging smile. Ennoshita just nodded. He watched the reckless boy take off, riding up and down the street with ease. Tanaka never even wobbled once. He sped back to Ennoshita, skidding to a stop right in front of him. “See? It’s easy. Now it’s your turn.”

“Okay,” Enno said after hesitating for a moment. He got on his bike and took a deep breath. He took one last look at Tanaka, who gave him two thumbs up. He placed his foot on the pedal, and started to move forward. As he gained momentum, he found keeping his balance to be easy. He started to speed up, beaming as he felt the wind hit his face.

“GO CHIKARA!” he heard Tanaka shout behind him. “I told you it was easy!” Tanaka said as he was catching up on his own bike. Ennoshita looked over to his friend for a moment, seeing Tanaka flash him a proud smile.

“Yeah, I guess you were right,” Enno laughed as he kept pedaling. The pair of children continued to ride through the neighborhood until sunset.

* * *

Ennoshita yawned and rubbed his eyes as he stepped outside his house to walk to junior high. He stood in his driveway, waiting for Tanaka to show up. Every morning they walked to school together. Before Enno knew it, Tanaka was skidding to a stop on his bike. “Grab your bike,” he commanded. Ennoshita groaned as he turned around to retrieve his bike from the garage.

“You’re never energetic before school,” Enno yawned as he walked his bike to where Tanaka was waiting.

“I know, but I finally got my bike fixed! And I didn’t get the chance to test it yesterday,” Tanaka explained as the pair started to pedal.

“You love that thing too much,” Enno said as his thick hair blew in the morning breeze.

“It’s the closest thing I can get to a motorcycle for now,” Tanaka shrugged.

“You’re still set on getting one?”

“Hell yeah! Hey Chikara, watch this,” Tanaka said as he sped up to the steep hill ahead of them.

“Ryuu, that’s a bad idea-”

“You worry too much!” Tanaka called over his shoulder as he took his feet off of the pedals and stuck his legs out. He quickly picked up momentum as he sped down the hill, legs still outstretched. Ennoshita started to safely coast down the hill, mumbling something about Tanaka being an idiot. Tanaka was flying down the hill, quickly approaching the intersection at the bottom. He kept his legs out, completely disregarding the stop sign ahead. Ennoshita saw a car start the cross the street as Tanaka reached the intersection.

“RYUU!” he screamed as Tanaka swerved in an attempt to stop his bike. Tanaka squeezed the brakes on his handlebars, causing them to screech as his bike skidded towards the car. He tried using his feet to stop himself and stumbled off, somehow managing how to stay on his feet as his bike slid to the side of the road. The car swerved, blowing their horn as they drove away. Ennoshita skidded to a hault as he caught up to the intersection and hopped off his bike, letting it fall on it’s side. “Tanaka Ryuunosuke, are you fucking insane?” he yelled as he marched towards his friend.

“Chik-” Tanaka began to say, holding his hands up to defend himself.

“Are you okay?” Enno asked. Tanaka saw the genuine concern on his face and dropped his hands.

“Yeah, I’m fine,”

“Are you sure?” Enno asked as he grabbed Tanaka’s shoulders, searching for any possible injuries.

“Yes, I’m perfectly fine!” Tanaka laughed. Ennoshita sighed as he let his hands fall.

“You drive me crazy,” he said as he picked up his bike. Tanaka laughed as he did the same.

“You’re the one who decides to put up with me,” Tanaka said. Enno rolled his eyes.

“Just be more careful, okay?”

“You worry too much,” Tanaka repeated.

“You almost just died,” Ennoshita quipped, scowling at Tanaka.

“Well...you got me there,” Tanaka said as they got on their bikes and started to continue their journey to school.

“So you’ll be more careful?”

“Mmm, no promises.”

“Remind me why I’m friends with you again?”

“Because I’m the coolest guy you know?”

“That’s definitely not it.”

* * *

Shortly before their last year of junior high ended, Tanaka showed up to Ennoshita’s driveway with his bike once again. “I can’t ride mine today, it has a flat tired, remember?” Ennoshita said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

“Oh yeah, I forgot,” Tanaka said, slapping his palm to his forehead. “Sorry…”

“It’s okay, you can go ahead without me,” Ennoshita said, started to walk towards school.

“No way,” Tanaka said as he slowly pedaled beside Enno. “I like walking to school with you,” he admitted,

“Well, you’re not walking right now,” Ennoshita said in a monotone voice.

“Why do you always have to make me sound like a dumbass?” Tanaka whined. Ennoshita smirked.

“Because I know it gets you angry.”

“You’re the worst.”

A smile tugged at the corners of Enno’s mouth as he tried to stop himself from laughing. “I know,” he said. The two started laughing as they approached the same hill where Tanaka nearly got himself killed before.

“Hey Chikara,” Tanaka started say. _Why do I get a bad feeling every time he says that…_ Ennoshita thought as he looked over to his friend.

“Hmm?”

“Watch this,” he said, letting go of his handlebars. He crossed his arms as he continued to pedal. “No hands.” Ennoshita just looked at him, appearing unimpressed. “Oh c’mon Chikara, I’ve been working on this for a while now. At least try to act impressed?” Enno rolled his eyes and smiled.

“Oh my _gosh_ , Ryuu, that’s the most _amazing_ thing I’ve ever _seen!_ ” he said in an overdramatic voice.

“Again, you’re the worst.”

“Again, I know,” Enno said.

Tanaka looked at the hill in front of him as he kept his arms crossed. “I’ll make you eat your words though,” he said, smirking mischievously.

“Please tell me you’re not about to do what I think you are…”

“Oh, but I am,” Tanaka said as he started to roll down the hill, keeping his arms crossed.

“Ryuu, no-” Ennoshita began to say as he ran after his friend.

“Ryuu yes!” Tanaka began to pick up speed as he laughed, leaving Enno in the dust. He turned his head around to face Enno, and cackled. “See? I- FUCK,” Tanaka was cut off as he hit the back of a parked car and fell off of his bike. He tumbled down the rest of the hill until he was near the bottom. Ennoshita saw Tanaka lay on the ground, slowly stirring. He could’ve sworn his heart stopped when he heard Tanaka groan in pain. _This is bad,_ Enno thought as he took off.

“RYUU!” he yelled as he sprinted down the hill. He dropped to his knees beside his hurt friend. “Oh, my god Ryuu, are you okay?” he asked as he put his hand on Tanaka’s arm. “Is anything broken? Can you get up? Oh god-”

“Hey, who did this to my car!?” an old man angrily shouted, cutting Enno off. Tanaka sat up and looked at Enno with a panicked expression. Ennoshita grabbed Tanaka’s arm and stood up. They abandoned the bike, and they ran as fast as they could. They didn’t stop running until they were a couple blocks away from the old man and his dented car. Ennoshita bent over and rested his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. “Jesus...Christ...Ryuu…” he said, gasping between each word. “Are...you...okay?” he said as he turned his head to see Tanaka. He was heavily breathing as well, while staring at his hands. They were gushing blood.

“Yeah...I’m fine…” he said.

“Oh my god Ryuu, no you’re not,” Enno said as he quickly straightened up and grabbed Tanaka’s wrists to look at his hands. The heels of his hands had deep cuts in them, and some small pieces of gravel were stuck to the wounds. “Come here,” Enno said in a soothing voice, leading Tanaka to sit on the curb.

“Chikara, I’m fine, honestly…” Tanaka argued.

“You’re obviously not,” Ennoshita said, sitting on his knees and opening his bag. He pulled out a pack of wipes and a small ziplock bag. “This might sting,” he warned as he pulled out a wipe and grabbed one of Tanaka’s hands and dabbed at the wound. He rubbed his thumb across Tanaka’s wrist when he heard Tanaka gasp when the wipe stung. “Sorry,” he breathed.

“S’okay…” Tanaka muttered.

The wipe quickly turned red as it soaked up blood. Ennoshita gently wiped away any gravel stuck in both hands, and wiped away extra blood. Tanaka watched him  work. The morning breeze blew Ennoshita’s bangs in front of his face, but that didn’t faze his concentration. He then grabbed the ziplock back and pulled out two large, rectangular band-aids. He unwrapped one and carefully placed it on one of Tanaka’s hand, and did the same to the other hand. He put his mini first aid kit away and stood up. “Better?” he asked, holding his hand out.

“Yeah, thanks,” Tanaka said, grabbing Enno’s hand. Enno pulled him up to stand, and the pair continued to walk to school. Out of nowhere, Ennoshita started to giggle. Tanaka looked at him in confusion as Enno’s quiet giggling turned into loud laughing. “What’s so funny?”

Enno tried calming himself down enough to talk. “You...you ran straight into a parked car!” he said, going into another fit of laughter.

“H-hey! It's not funny!” Tanaka said, blushing as he shoved Enno.

“Yes….yes, it is!” Enno stuttered in between laughs. As soon as Ennoshita snorted, Tanaka lost it too. The two laughed until their sides hurt and tears were forming in the corners of their eyes. “You’re fucking dumb,” Enno said when they finally calmed down.

“I know, there's some pretty stupid shit I do…” Tanaka admitted. Ennoshita looked at him in surprise. Tanaka never agreed when someone called him out on stuff like this. Tanaka looked down at his hands and the band-aids covering them. “You were too prepared for this,” he laughed.

“You know I carry band-aids on me,” Ennoshita said, rolling his eyes. “I always go through them way too fast because of you.” He made a habit of always having band-aids on hand, since Tanaka was pretty reckless and prone to getting hurt. He was always watching out for his best friend.

“I know, you-”

“Let me guess, I worry too much?” Ennoshita said, smirking at Tanaka.

“You got it,” Tanaka said with a light laugh. “But you gotta stop fussing over me, I can do just fine on my own.” Ennoshita looked down and kicked at the rocks on the road. It didn’t matter if Tanaka didn’t _need_ him, he just wanted to _be there_ for Tanaka.

“Then what would you have done without me just now?” Enno said, looking up at Tanaka with a forced smile.

“Well…” Tanaka said thoughtfully. “I’d probably be getting my ass handed to me by that old man while my hands were gushing blood,” he said as he laughed. Ennoshita’s lips curled into a genuine smile, laughing along with him.

“I see what your definition of ‘just fine’ is now.”

“Shut up! If I wasn’t showing off to you that would have never happened.”

“So it’s my fault now?”

“Yes, exactly. I’m glad you agree.”

“You’re a piece of work, Ryuu.”

“I know...Hey, Chikara?”

“Hm?”

“You still need to stop worrying so much…”

“I don’t plan on it anytime soon…”

* * *

Ennoshita was laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling on a Sunday. He hadn’t gone to volleyball practice in over a week. He was relieved he didn’t have to worry about being pushed so hard, yet he still felt drained. Instead of doing anything about it, he spent his time laying around the house doing nothing. He heard his phone vibrating on his bedside table. He grabbed it and saw it was Tanaka was calling. He sighed as he accepted the call. “I’m not coming back to volleyball,” he said immediately, skipping a greeting.

“That’s not what I was going to ask,” Tanaka said on the other side of the line.

“Oh...sorry,” Ennoshita said, now feeling like an ass. “What’s up then?”

“Do you wanna go for a bike ride?” Tanaka asked hopefully. Ennoshita paused for a moment. Since high school started he and Tanaka stopped riding bikes together. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to…” Tanaka added after Enno didn’t respond.

“No it’s fine, I’d like that a lot actually…” Enno said. “Meet me in my driveway?

“You got it,” Tanaka said, a hint of excitement in his voice. Ennoshita heard Tanaka hang up, and got out of bed. He quickly changed and went to get his bike. He wheeled it out of his garage and rested it on the kickstand. He sat waiting for Tanaka, and soon enough, Tanaka zoomed around the corner.

The pair started to ride around the neighborhood, not really saying much at first. Ennoshita was finally the one to start a conversation, and dared to bring up the sensitive topic. “Why aren’t you at practice today?”

“We had off today,” Tanaka said.

“Oh.” Enno waited for him to push him to come back, but he didn’t.

“How have you been?” Tanaka asked, turning his head to look back at Enno.

“I’ve been fine...why do you ask?” Enno answered slowly.

“Because I feel like I don’t see you much anymore…” Tanaka said, still watching Enno ride behind him.

“I see you at lunch.”

“I know, but that’s the only time I see you.”

“Car.”

“Huh?” Tanaka whipped his head around to look in front of him. “Shit.” He swerved around a parked car on the side of the road. “Thanks…”

“Mhm.”

Tanaka slowly came to a stop at an intersection. “You know, I never thought I’d say this but...I miss that…” he said nostalgically. Enno stopped beside him.

“What do you mean?”

“I miss you worrying about me…” Tanaka said, adding a weak laugh at the end.

“Ryuu…I still worry about you…”

“I know, but...I-I...I miss having you around to look out for me…” Tanaka looked down at his front wheel. Ennoshita felt his face get hot, and he knew a blush was forming on his cheeks.

“Ryuu, I-I…”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything.” Tanaka started to pedal away until Enno called after him.

“Ryuu?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll always worry about you, don’t forget that, okay?”

Tanaka smiled. “I won’t.”

“Promise?”

“Are you telling me you’re worried about this now?”

“...Maybe.”

“You worry too much”

“I was afraid you’d say that...”

* * *

“Ryuu, I can’t do this,” Ennoshita said, his voice quivering. He and Tanaka were in his room the weekend before their third year of high school began.

“Yes you can-”

“Ryuu, don’t you understand? I don’t deserve it!” Enno said, raising his voice. He couldn’t hold it together any longer and started sobbing.

“Chikara…” Tanaka whispered, pulling his best friend into a hug. He let Enno cry into his shirt while stroking his ebony hair. “Please don’t say that…”

“But it’s true…” Ennoshita breathed.

“It’s not, you deserve this more than anyone…” Tanaka said. He nuzzled his nose into Enno’s soft, thick hair. “You came back, you worked just as hard as all of us if not harder, you saved our asses in a match, you always put others before yourself...you deserve to be the captain more than anyone…” he whispered. Ennoshita wrapped his arms around Tanaka’s waist and held him tightly as he finally began to stop sobbing. He felt safe in Tanaka’s arms, and as he breathed in his scent, he just might have started to believe Tanaka’s words.

“Are you sure?” He whispered, barely loud enough for Tanaka to hear.

“Positive.”

“What if I’m not good at being captain?” he asked, his face still buried into the crook of Tanaka’s neck.

“You’ll be great, I know it,” Tanaka assured. “And if you need help, that’s what I’m here for. I’ll be the best vice captain you’ve ever seen.” Enno stayed quiet for a moment.

“What if the first years don’t like me?” he said, causing Tanaka to laugh.

“You’re worried about that? Chikara, you worry too much.”

“I know, you tell me that every day.”

“Well you never stop, so I have to remind you. Just in case you forget.”

“I’ll never stop worrying…”

“I know.” Tanaka felt Ennoshita squeeze him ever tighter and bury his face into his shoulder even more.

“Ryuu...I’m scared…” he whispered.

“Chikara, listen…” Tanaka said, pulling away. He cupped Ennoshita’s face, seeing tears still streaming down his cheeks. He wiped away the tears with his thumbs. Ennoshita looked at him with his gorgeous, dark, glassy eyes. They were the prettiest eyes Tanaka had ever seen. Tanaka hated seeing him this upset. He rarely did since Enno was prone to hiding his feelings, but when he did see, it just broke his heart. “Remember when we were kids and we used to ride out bikes?” Enno nodded, sniffling. “Remember when you were scared to take your training wheels off?” Enno nodded again. “And how I was there to help you?” Enno nodded yet again. “And how once we took them off, you did amazing?” Enno hesitated, but then finally nodded once again. “It’s going to be just like that, just like taking your training wheels off, I promise.” Ennoshita weakly smiled at him.

“You promise?” he said.

“I _promise_ ,” Tanaka said, brushing his thumb affectionately across Enno’s cheek. “We’re gonna okay. You’ll be my captain, and I’ll be your ace, okay?”

“I’d like that a lot,” Ennoshita said, a huge smile spreading across his face. “I’m sorry…” he laughed, wiping his tears away.

“Don’t be,” Tanaka said. “Chikara, you know I worry about you too, right?”

“Yeah, I know,” Enno said, sleepily smiling at Tanaka.

“Good, don’t forget it…”

“I won’t…” Ennoshita assured. They stood in silence, staring at each other. Enno accidentally let his eyes flicker to Tanaka’s lips for a moment. He tensed up, hoping Tanaka didn’t notice. But, if he wasn’t going insane, he could’ve swore Tanaka stole a glance at his lips too. After what seemed like an eternity, Tanaka was the one to finally break the silence.

“You’re gonna do great, Chika,” he said, using the nickname he formed a habit of using during their first year.

“I hate it when you call me that,” Ennoshita said, rolling his eyes.

“You want me to stop?” Tanaka asked.

“Never,” Ennoshita said. The two started laughing as they pulled each other into another hug. They stood like that, laughing and holding each other for what they wished lasted years. Ennoshita felt safe, he felt happy. He finally felt like he was going to be okay.

* * *

“I’m so excited, oh my _god_ ,” Tanaka said as he scrolled through his phone.

“I know Ryuu, you’ve said it like twenty times now,” Ennoshita said.

“Dude it’s happening _tomorrow_ , I’m so excited I could _nut_ right now.”

“Please don’t nut on my roof.”

“You’re no fun,” Tanaka whined.

“I’m sorry,” Enno laughed as he looked up at the clear sky above him. Stars scattered the sky and the full moon glowed brightly. The pair had been sitting on his roof, enjoying the clear, cool night, enjoying one of the few nights they could afford to hang out before the end of their third and last year of high school. “I know this means a lot to you, you’ve wanted this since we were kids.”

“I know! It’s finally happening! I finally get my own _motorcycle!_ ” Tanaka said excitedly. “I want to get it painted like one of these,” he said while he showed Enno some pictures he had saved on his phone. Ennoshita payed more attention to Tanaka’s excited expression than the pictures he was being shown. _He’s so cute when he’s happy_. “I think I like this one the best,” he said, stopping at a picture of a black motorcycle with bright orange flames painted on it.

“That’s so tacky,” Ennoshita quipped.

“You’re so mean to me Chika,” Tanaka said, shoving Enno. “Do you have a better suggestion?”

“Nope,” Ennoshita said. “It’s very you, so I like it. It’s perfect.” Tanaka snorted.

“Leave it to you to turn it into something that sounds like a cliche line from a movie,” he said.

“That’s a compliment to me, you know,” Enno said as he pulled his knees to his chest and rested his arms on his knees.

“So you’re really going through with filmmaking?” Tanaka asked.

“Yeah…” Tanaka could hear a hint of uncertainty in Enno’s voice.

“You’re gonna do great things, I’m sure of it.”

“I hope so...” Enno sighed as he rested his chin on his arm and looked at the stars. Tanaka watched him. The moonlight washed over his pale skin, and a few strands of his thick, ebony hair blew in the breeze. Tanaka could see a small, sleepy smile form on Ennoshita’s lips. Tanaka knew he was thinking about the future and what he hoped to achieve. Enno always looked sleepy, but when he mused about his dream job, he looked extra sleepy and dreamlike. He was absolutely beautiful. Tanaka felt a blush creeping on his face, so he quickly looked away. “You’re awfully quiet all of a sudden.”

“Huh?” Tanaka whipped his head around to face Enno.

“Just a second ago you were nutting over getting a motorcycle and now you’re all quiet. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything is more than okay,” Tanaka said, grinning. “It’s kind of hard to believe I’m getting a motorcycle tomorrow, like, I’ve been waiting so long, I can’t believe it’s actually happening…”

“Yeah, I understand. Our bikes are gonna seem like shit to you now,” Enno laughed.

“No way! We’ll still go one bike rides, I’ll make sure of it, whether you like it or not,” Tanaka assured. “Plus, I can give you rides!”

“Somehow I trust you significantly less with a motorcycle than a bike…” Ennoshita said with a smirk.

“C’mon Chika,” Tanaka begged. “I’ll even take you to your classes next year!”

“Ryuu, you would have to get up early for that.”

“Our universities are only going to be a half hour apart!”

“That doesn’t change the fact that you would have to get up earlier.”

“I know.”

“You _hate_ getting up early.”

“I wouldn’t mind if it’s for you.”

Ennoshita froze for a moment. “Oh…” he whispered, feeling his cheeks turn pink. He sighed as he laid down on his back, feeling the cool temperature of the roof through his shirt. “I might take you up on that offer,” he said, after quickly finding his composure.

Tanaka laid down with him, and they both watched the stars side by side. They stayed silent, knowing they were both thinking about the same thing. In less than two weeks, their last year of high school was coming to an end. After their short break, they were both moving to Tokyo for university. Tanaka and Nishinoya planned to be roommates and pursue volleyball at the same school, and Ennoshita would be studying filmmaking a little over a half hour away. “Hey Chikara?” Tanaka softly asked.

“Mm?”

“After we graduate...a-and go to college and stuff...we’re not gonna...like, drift apart, are we?” Tanaka slowly asked. Enno turned his head to see Tanaka biting his lip nervously.

“Of course not,” Ennoshita said. “We won’t let that happen…” They stared at each other for a moment before both of them looked up at the sky. Their hands were only a few short centimeters apart. Tanaka’s pinky finger twitched, brushing against Enno’s. Enno hooked his pinky around Tanaka’s.

“Promise?” Tanaka whispered after an eternity of silence.

“Promise.” Ennoshita said in a soft, soothing voice. They stayed like that for a long time, laying down, watching the night sky, pinkies interlocked. “Are you really afraid of that happening, Ryuu?”

“Yeah…” Tanaka said after hesitating for a moment.

“You worry too much,” Ennoshita said.

“Hey!” Tanaka said, turning his head to face a smirking Ennoshita. “That’s my line!” Ennoshita laughed hard as he squeezed Tanaka’s pinky tighter with his own.

“It’s a little something called irony.”

“Don’t get smart with me.”

“It’s actually an example of dramatic irony to be exact.”

“Wiseass.”

“Dumbass.”

“You’re the worst.”

“I know.”

* * *

Ennoshita sat in his living room on his laptop, writing down some script ideas he wanted to play around with later. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. After pulling it out, he saw it was Tanaka, so he quickly answered. “Hey.”

“Hey Chika, are you busy right now?”

“No not really, why?” Enno asked, feeling his heart flutter when Tanaka used his nickname.

“You know that long road near the park?”

“The one that goes through a field?”

“Yeah, that one, meet me there in a half hour.”

“Okay?” Ennoshita heard the a click as soon as he agreed. He shut his laptop and got up, grabbing a crewneck and putting shoes on, and headed outside. He pulled the crewneck on as he walked to the long backroad Tanaka was talking about. It would be the first time they saw each other since high school ended a couple days ago. Ennoshita looked up at the few stray fluffy clouds in the blue sky. The sun was going to start setting soon. He sighed as he wondered what reckless thing Tanaka would have planned. When Enno finally made it to the long, quiet road, he saw Tanaka waiting for him. He was standing next to his motorcycle.

“Hey Chikaaa,” Tanaka said with a playful tone.

“Dear god, what do you have planned…” Enno groaned.

“Something awesome, trust me,” Tanaka said, motioning for Enno to come closer. “I want you to try something, at least just this once, okay?”

“What is it?” Enno said reluctantly.

“Just trust me,” Tanaka said as he straddled his motorcycle and started it. “Get on.”

“What?” Enno said. He hadn’t been on Tanaka’s motorcycle yet.

“Get on! It’s going to be so cool, trust me.”

“No helmets?” Enno worriedly asked.

“Not this time. We’ll be fine, trust me, I just really want you to try this,” Tanaka begged. Ennoshita hesitantly got on the back.

“Can you at least tell me what we’re doing?” Ennoshita asked. Tanaka turned his head around to face Enno.

“Riding down this road as fast as you can is the greatest feeling. The wind against your face and in your hair feels amazing…”

“You don’t have any hair,” Enno remarked.

“Shut up, you do. I’m trying to do something nice here, can you at least be nice for once?” Tanaka joked.

“Never.” Ennoshita flashed a toothy grin as Tanaka turned and revved up his motorcycle. “Why are we doing this again?”

“Because...It really is an amazing feeling...I, uh, I wanted you to experience too...I-I wanted to experience _with_ you…” Tanaka murmured over the purring engine.

“Sounds fun,” Ennoshita cooed as he felt his face flush.

“You’re gonna want to hold on. Tight.” Tanaka said.

“Eh?”

“I said hold on tight,” Tanaka said mischievously as he revved up the engine again. Ennoshita quickly wrapped his arms around Tanaka’s torso and held on. He squeezed Tanaka tightly when Tanaka took off, tires squealing before launching them forward.

“RYUUUUUU,” Ennoshita screamed as he saw the needle go past eighty miles per hour. He dug his fingernails into Tanaka’s chest and buried his face in the crook of his neck as he heard the motorcycle roar.

“You better not be hiding!” Tanaka shouted. “Look up!” Ennoshita slowly lifted his head to look ahead of him. The wind pushed his bangs back and hit his face, causing his eyes to water. He looked around to the empty fields flying by on both sides of him. The blue sky was turning to gold as the sun began to set. He squeezed Tanaka tighter when they sped up. A huge smile spread across Enno’s face as he looked ahead, enjoying the wind hit him as the motorcycle roared. He started laughing, resting his cheek against the side of Tanaka’s shaved head.

“This is amazing!” he shouted.

“I told you!” The pair laughed as they flew down the empty road, enjoying the feeling of the cool air stinging their faces. Adrenaline pumped through Enno’s veins as the thrill of speeding down the empty road sunk in. Ennoshita felt like he could fly down this road, arms wrapped around Tanaka forever.

Tanaka finally started to slow down, and pulled over on the side of the endless road. Ennoshita sighed as he rested his head on Tanaka’s back, finally letting his tense body relax. Tanaka hopped off and held his hand out to help Ennoshita get off. Once got off, he squeezed Tanaka’s hand and started laughing.

“That was so cool! It was so...so, _exhilarating_ , I felt...I felt so alive!” Ennoshita stuttered excitedly.

“I told you it was amazing!” Tanaka laughed as they pulled each other into a hug, laughing and rambling about their motorcycle ride.

“I felt like I was flying,” Enno said. He held his hands out to see they were shaking. “My hands are still shaking,” he giggled.

“Were you really that scared? It felt like you were clinging to me as if your life depended on it,” Tanaka laughed as he grabbed Ennoshita’s hands and rubbed circles onto the back of his hands with his thumbs to calm him.

“Well, yeah! You took off without any warning! And we easily passed a hundred miles per hour! That’s _scary_ , Ryuu,” he said as he shoved Tanaka playfully.

“Well I’m so sorry,” Tanaka said sarcastically. “But was it worth it?”

“I will admit, it _was_ worth it,” Enno said as he lowered himself to sit in the grass field. Tanaka plopped down next to him.

“Good, I’m glad you liked it,” he said as they watched the grass roll in the breeze. Tanaka pulled at the grass as a silence fell between them. “You know, I already miss it.”

“Miss what?” Ennoshita said, turning to look at Tanaka. He was thoughtfully ripping up a blade of grass.

“Volleyball…”

“You’ll still be playing though…” Ennoshita said, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, obviously, but...I’m gonna miss the team. _Our_ team. I...I-I’m gonna miss you being my captain…” Tanaka said softly, pulling another blade of grass out of the ground.

“I’m gonna miss our team too...and...I’m sure you’ll have a better captain in college…” Ennoshita said.

“You’ll always be my favorite captain…” Tanaka said. His lips formed a small smile. “You’ll always be my _best_ captain…”

“I’ll miss being your captain too…” Ennoshita whispered, resting his head on Tanaka’s shoulder. “Remember when I was scared of becoming captain?” Enno said after pausing for a moment.

“Yeah?”

“I decided that wasn’t the scariest thing I’ve done in my life. No volleyball match was either…” Enno said as he watched the clouds slowly move by.

“Then what was the scariest thing? Did the motorcycle ride just beat everything else?” Tanaka asked.

“Nope, that’s not it either.”

“Then what was it?”

“I think it’s the day I took my training wheels off,” Ennoshita said, a smile tugging at his lips.

“Really? No way,” Tanaka said in surprise.

“Yup.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, for one thing, I thought I was going to fall flat on my face. I didn’t want that to happen, especially in front of you...and, I guess, that was before I knew you were there for me…” Ennoshita explained, rubbing his cheek against Tanaka’s shoulder. “You helped me out, and since then, I always had a sense security of knowing you were there for me, that you had my back...”

“...Really?” Tanaka whispered after hesitating for a long time. He felt his face turn red and his mouth went dry.

“Yeah...Ryuu, I...I-I feel safe with you,” Ennoshita said softly.

“Chika...I feel safe with you too…” Tanaka whispered.

“Really?”

“Yeah...you’re always worrying about me, I don’t know what I would so without you to watch out for my dumb ass, and you always take care of me when I mess up, and...a-and I know I always joke about it...but, please don’t...please don’t ever stop worrying about me, okay?”

After a long moment of silence, Ennoshita finally answered. “Okay,” he whispered, lifting his head off of Tanaka’s shoulder a little. He planted a quick kiss on his shoulder, his lips pressing against the soft fabric of the hoodie.

Tanaka turned to face Ennoshita and looked at the dreamy, half-lidded boy with wide eyes. Ennoshita did nothing but give him a soft, warm smile. Tanaka cupped Ennoshita’s cheek with one hand and gently pressed his lips against Enno’s. Enno tensed up for a moment, but quickly melted into the kiss. He grabbed the front of Tanaka’s hoodie, pulling him closer. Both of them slowly kissed each other, finally giving in to the feelings they tried to deny throughout all of high school. Tanaka felt Enno smiling against his lips and pulled away. He saw Ennoshita’s eyes were brimming with tears.

“Chika!” he said, pulling Enno closer to him. Ennoshita just laughed as Tanaka kissed his cheeks and wiped the tears away. Ennoshita buried his face into Tanaka’s chest, and Tanaka rubbed circles on his back.

“This isn’t a one time thing, is it?” Ennoshita hesitantly whispered after a while. Tanaka pushed him away and grabbed his face to look him in the eye.

“Chikara, I can assure this is definitely _not_ a one time thing,” he said before quickly pecking Enno’s nose.

“Are you sure?” Ennoshita giggled as more happy tears formed in his eyes.

“Yes I’m sure! I want this to be a _long_ time thing,” Tanaka said, running his fingers through the ebony hair he’d grown to love so much.

“Good, I do too,” Ennoshita said as a huge smile spread across his flushed face. He wiped his eyes and laughed again. “I was just worried.”

“Oh my god Chika, _you worry too much_.”

“I know! I can’t help it!”

“And stop crying!”

“You look like you’re about to cry too!”

“Shut _up_ , I am _not!_ ”

“Yes you are!”

“You know what Chika? I’ve decided you’re the absolute _worst_.”

“I know...”

The two continued to laugh at each other as happy tears rolled down their cheeks, holding each other and kissing each other in the grassy field. They felt happy. They felt secure. They felt _safe_. And they knew they would find safety in each other for a long time. After all, they did worry about each other too much.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, as always, kudos and comments are very much appreciated :)  
> Hopefully after this first step I'll be more comfortable writing ships other than YamaNoya lol


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